Assessing the Ability to Pay for the Fees Charged by Charities (Stage 1 Report)
In March 2008 OSCR commissioned independent researchers, Virtual Worlds, to look at the ability of individuals or households to afford fees charged by charities. This research was commissioned in two stages: (1) Development and appraisal of possible methodologies to examine individuals? and households? ability to afford fees charged by charities (Stage1). (2) Following agreement of a methodology, modelling ability to pay measures on a relevant Scottish population data set (Stage 2). This Stage 1 Report is supported by a comprehensive literature review and evaluation of possible measures. Recommendations on suitable ability to pay measures and on the modelling of these are also given. The Stage 2 Report was published in October 2009 and is available at: http://www.scvo.org.uk/EvidenceLibrary/Home/ReadResearchItem.aspx?f=h&rid=1001 On 16 October 2009, OSCR stated: "The research has been useful in supporting its approach of looking at fees, and it provides a valuable frame of reference when assessing whether charities provide public benefit. While it provides useful background information, the computer based model will not be used for individual assessments of charities against the charity test specified in the 2005 Act." OSCR's full statement is available at: http://www.oscr.org.uk/NewsItem.aspx?ID=de43c549-aecf-4897-bd41-fe17126b89ac
